Trolley wire support and attachment therefor



Aug. 19,1947- s. s. MATTHES 2,426,151

TROLLEY WIRE SUPPORT AND ATTACHMEN'I THEREFOR Filed July 22, 1944 ZSnuentor @fmyzz dmmm By I I V (Ittomeg v Patented Aug. 19, 1947 TROLLEY WIRE SUPPORT AND ATTACH- MENT THEREFOR Samuel S. Matthes, Mansfield, Ohio, assignor to The (Bhio Brass Company, Mansfield, Ohio, a corporation of New Jersey Application July 22, 1944, Serial No. 546,170

4 Claims.

My invention relates to curve supports for trolley wires and particularly to trolley wires at curves.

My present invention relates specifically to the support or strain member by means of which the other parts of the support are co-related and held in pre-arranged relation.

ihe general arrangement herein disclosed is shown and described in my co-pending application filed September 7, 1942 now S. Patent 2,354,869, but my advance over that disclosure in the center or strain member for the attach" ment thereto of guard members.

My invention also provides a central support or strain member to which a curved segment and its brace members are attached, including guard members and by means of which the attachment of the brace and guard members to the strain member may be adjusted relative to each other and to the segment which is secured tothe strain member.

In the drawing: v

Fig. 1 is a top or plan View of my invention including a brace and a segment and a guard. each projecting from one side of the strain member or plate; it being understood that like elements project from the opposite side of the strain plane to form a complete device.

Fig. 2 is a side view of element I of 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section on line i i of Fig. 1.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention I provide an elongated plate like member I with depressed end portions 2 and 3. The end portions are provided with through openings t or other means by which supporting cables may be secured to the plate to support and maintain the device in position.

On opposite sides of the longitudinal center line are raised portions 5, each provided with an upper sloping fiat surface 5.

The portions 5 are each provided with two rows of through openings 6 and i by means of which the brace members B may be secured to the strain plate.

The brace members B are each provided with a flattened end and a pair of through openings corresponding in longitudinal spacing to the spacing between the rows of openings 6 and '5. By securing the brace member to theplate by means of a bolt positioned in one of the openings in the plate and brace member the curvature of the segment S may be varied.

Adjacent the end portion 3 is a raised portion 8 which is provided with through openings 9, one

on each side of the longitudinal center line, by means of which the curved segment S is secured to the under horizontal surface 8 of the portion 3 by bolts or other suitable attaching means.

Between the portions 5 and 8 of the plate I is a portion It provided with a pair of elongated through slots iI, one on each side of the longitudinal center line.

Each slot I I is provided with an enlarged opening I2 at the lower surface of the plate to receive the head of a bolt securing the segment B to the plate I.

In Fig. 3 is shown a section of the plate I on the line 3s-3 of Fig. 1 and it will be noted by comparing the dotted line aa with the upper surface 5 of the portion 5 that the said upper surface slopes with respect to the line aa which corresponds to the lower surface 8' of the portion 8 of the plate.

By sloping the surface 5 of portion 5 with respect to the horizontal surface 8' of the portion 8, it is possible to place a torsional stress in the member B when secured in position if the plane of the flattened end surfaces coincide or are parallel or otherwise properly related.

This torsional eifect may be secured in other ways but I find the above method a simple and expedient way of securing an initial torsional form in the members B and exerted at the outer ends or the segment S. By merely tightening the bolts securing the members B to the segment and plate, the torsional force is automatically induced in the member.

With the slope of the surface 5 as shown with respect to the line 11-11, the torsional force acting upon the free ends of the segment S will tend to rotate the ends of the vertical leg of the segment in a manner to oppose the side pull of the trolley wire and thus maintain a vertical position of the said leg.

Guards G are pivotally secured at one end to the segment S at a point intermediate its ends thereby aiding in maintaining the proper curvature of the segment and the other end secured in laterally movable relation to the plate I by means of a bolt extending through an opening in the guard and through the vertically disposed slot I i. It is evident that this arrangement may be reversed by having the slot in the end of the guards, but I prefer the arrangement shown and described.

The guards G consist of a plurality of elongated members forming a triangular shaped device in which the members at one end are secured in close relation and to an end member as by welding and the members at their other ends secured in spaced relation and to a terminal member as by welding. The members forming the guards operate as a unit about the apex end of the guards as pivotal points. The other or base end of each guard being movable along the plate I whereby the position of the guard as a unit may be changed relative to the members B and S, thereby changing the spacing between the guard and members B and S as required.

The above description of the guards G covers the original disclosure thereof.

This movability or adjustability of the guards G with respect to the plate I is found of great convenience and almost a necessity in order to maintain proper relation between the parts when the ends of the members B are adjusted with respect to the plate I, thus changing the spacing between the member B and segment S.

It will be noted that the end portions 2 and 3 of plate l are depressed with respect to the other portion; this brings the strain supporting cables in suiiicient alignment with the lower edges of the segment S for all practical purposes.

The lower surface 8 of the portion 8 is in approximate alignment with the upper surface 5 of the portion 5. This is because the members B are attached to the upper surface of the curved segment S, however, the surface 5 slopes with respect to the said surface 8 as previously explained.

The upper surface I l of the portion I!) is above the surfaces 5 and 8 as this avoids interference with the lateral adjustment of the guards G. The guards prevent a dewired trolley head fouling with the device.

The segment S is provided along its lower edge with means i3 which may be two-part clamps to receive and hold a continuous trolley wire, and the ends of the segment provided with tips T to receive the trolley wire as shown in my U. S. Letters Patent 2,325,788.

By the use of the terms horizontal, upper and lower in the claims, I refer to them as described and used in the specification and as applied to the device when in use.

This application is a continuation in part of my copending application cited above.

Having described and shown an embodiment of my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A trolley device to support a trolley wire, comprising a curved support member and a pulloff member secured to the curved member adjacent its longitudinal center and projecting laterally from the convex side of the curved member, brace members connected to the end portions of the curved member and to the pull-off member, the said members forming a triangular-shaped opening on each side of the pull-off member, a triangular-shaped guard positioned in each opening and each guard having its apex end attached to the curved support member intermediate its ends and the pull-off member and the other or base end of each guard associated with the pulloff member to maintain the curvature of the support member and protect the device from de-wired current collectors and movable toward either one of the members forming the sides of the opening to vary the clearance therebetween, means associated with the pull-off means and cooperating with means associated with each guard to secure the guards in position after permitting said movement and means associated with the curved member along its length to secure the trolley Wire thereto for engagement by a passing current collector.

2. A trolley wire support, comprising a curved member, a pair of brace members each having one end attached to the end portions of the curved member and the other end attached to a pull-off member which is attached to the curved member adjacent its longitudinal center, means along the lower portion of the curved member to receive and hold a continuous trolley wire, the said members relatively movable and forming a triangular opening on each side of the pull-off member, a second pair of braces of triangular shape positioned in each opening and forming a unitary member and each having its apex end connected to the curved member intermediate its ends and the pull-01f member to maintain the curvature and upright position of the curved member and the base portion of each second brace associated with the pull-off member, the pull-01f member being so constructed and so arranged relative to the curved and several brace members that the curved member and the brace members may be moved relative to each other along the pull-01f member without interference whereby the curvature of the curved member may be changed and the width of the triangular openings altered, and means associated with the pull-off member and with the base portion of the said second braces to secure the second braces in fixed position after the said positioning of the second braces.

3. A trolley device to support a continuous trolley wire comprising a central strain plate, a curved member attached to the strain plate and projecting transversely from the strain plate substantially equal distances from both sides thereof, means distributed along the lower portion of the curved member between its ends to receive and hold a continuous trolley wire and means to maintain the curvature of the curved member, the last said means comprising an outer member projecting from each side of the strain plate and each having one end secured to the plate spaced from the curved member and the other end secured to the outer end of the curved member and an inner brace member extending from each side of the plate and attached to the plate intermediate the outer member and the curved member and to the curved member intermediate its ends.

4. A trolley device as described in claim 3 in which the inner brace members from the strain plate to the intermediate points on the projecting portions of the curved member are Wider at one end than at the other end to guard the opening between the strain plate and the outer braces and the curved member.

SAMUEL S. MATTHES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,295,400 Hanna Sept. 8, 1942 2,287,692 Matthes June 23, 1942 2,325,788 Matthes Aug. 3, 1943 2,338,510 Hanna et al Jan. 4, 1944 2,354,869 Matthes Aug. 1, 1944 

